Friday, August 13, 2010

Freedom On Independence Day

In my childhood I used to be very excited for each Republic Day and Independence Day. Days to feel proud, tell big things, watch war movies, sing patriotic songs, carry flags etc etc.

Even through my high school, this feeling lingered, though in a lesser intense manner. By the end of school life, these days were a celebration of the sacrifices of the martyrs and of our basic freedom.By start of college life, freedom was not a matter of just these few days, but almost every day. Freedom from the exams, tension of jobs, rules, parents, people and countless other things. The last 2 semesters were focused on enjoying the freedom to the max and saving the memories, before jumping into professional life.

Talking of which, the professional life, which I had dreamt would open up many more gates and offer more freedom, was just what I had not wished for. Spending hours and minutes inside this 3X4 cell facing the dumbo machine and typing away, is not what the kid had dreamt about doing when he talked about 'freedom'. Even considering my geeky nature, this kind of routine strongly deserves to be branded as 'Correctional', especially considering the correctional effects it has been producing.

So, here I am , nearing yet another Independence Day of the country, where small children do slave labour without going to schools, the better off slog with books and academics without getting to enjoy their childhood, the even elderly ones sweat their asses off worrying about career prospects, and the rest of us glorified IT industry professionals suffocate ourselves inside our AC cooled cabins, some with dreams about LIFE still alive and many who forgot what it means to LIVE.